This year’s summer-holiday travels are off to a great start, with two new additions to the high-speed train family from tomorrow. Sleeker than ever, they’re packed with high-tech features intended to make our train time safer and more comfortable, with even more convenience.
If you’re taking a train from Nanjing South Railway Station tomorrow, 25 June, to either Beijing or Shanghai, you may be in for a very pleasant surprise. If so, it should be pretty obvious even before you get on; the exterior of the train has been given a new swirling, red and orange design, inspired by a Chinese dragon.
On board, a whole new experience awaits. Beginning up at the front of the train, or the rear, there is a new fishbone layout for seats in business class, reminiscent of many airlines. The new seats, which offered unparalleled privacy, can each be rotated for people travelling together who wish to actually see each other.
One-touch buttons now operate the business-class seat to its three positions of upright, reclined or flatbed. A wireless near-field charging point is housed in the new seat-side table, while a foot locker is provided at floor level for shoes. And each business-class passenger now has their own touch-screen video display too.
In first class, each seat is more comfortable and equipped with electrically adjustable leg supports. Two USB ports are also joined by two sockets offering mains power.
For everyone else, every seat in second class now has a USB charging point in the back of the seat in front, while stability for the drinks holder has been improved by deepening the groove depth. And if you are in the front row facing the bulkhead, the tables now slide out from the wall in front of you. Nice touch.
Throughout the train, LCD screens replacing the now-distinctly aged LED displays for route and train information are joined by 29-inch overhead displays for those endless videos of high-speed trains gliding through China’s impressive landscapes and engineering marvels.
Then there are the new toilets with lighting which adjusts automatically whenever someone enters and then issue an audible warning not to attempt to smoke inside. Yep, it appears that’s still a problem.
For those who have recently spent a small fortune on a new phone, 5G coverage is provided throughout, although initially only on the long 17-carriage configuration of the new units.
Larger spaces for baggage and wheelchairs (which get their own seatbelts) in many carriages are also joined in the dining car by a vending machine for self-service of snacks, fruit and drinks. No more long waits because “attendant is in the carriage”.
Even if you’re not lucky enough to be getting on one of the new trains tomorrow, the features can be seen in a China Railway promotional video published by the Yangtze Evening News.
The new trains enter service tomorrow on many of China’s busier routes between 1st tier cities, including Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing and Shanghai.
